Two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart has always said he takes his vacations to race USAC sprint and midget cars.

Edward Kennett can understand that philosophy. The British speedway motorcycle racer takes his annual vacation to Southern California. And thanks to a collaboration between Industry Speedway, Monster Energy and world speedway officials, Kennett can follow Stewart’s lead.

“I love the weather here,” Kennett said of what began as a vacation ritual three years ago. “It’s lovely. Much better than the Christmas weather back home.”

He will be racing in the second annual Monster Energy Speedway Invitational tonight at Industry Speedway at the Industry Hills Exposition Center’s Grand Arena. Sixteen of some of the world’s top speedway cycles riders will racing at 7 p.m.

“It would be brilliant,” he said of besting the world-class field. “It’s just great to have the opportunity to race against these guys.”

Last year’s inaugural event, won by Northern Californian Billy Janniro, was an all-California finale. Kennett, 27, was the closest European standout to making the finals. He suffered mechanical issues during the semifinals.

Kennett signed with the Birmingham Brummies of the Premiere League shortly before leaving England for the States on Dec. 18, giving him two racing teams for next season; he rejoined one of his original teams, the Rye House Rockets of the Elite League, earlier this year. He raced for Swindon this season.

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Kennett has been staying with longtime friend and speedway shock builder Martin Hagon in San Marcos, and he was able to do some training on a borrowed 500cc Jawa bike, which does not have a starter or brakes, at Inland Motorcycle Speedway in San Bernardino last week.

The session was not to get adjusted to the smaller one-eighth mile Industry track, but to just stay on top of his game. Most tracks in England and Europe are longer and larger.

“I grew up on small tracks,” he said. “I like racing on them and I prefer them. I’m better on them.”

Kennett will face the four finalists from last year’s event, along with two other current Grand Prix racers, Australia’s Darcy Ward and England’s Chis Harris. Ward, in his rookie Grand Prix season in the series, finished eighth despite missing four races with a broken shoulder. Harris earned the final spot for the 2014 season because of the retirement of Poland’s Tomasz Gollob.

Kennett has been a wild card in two previous Grand Prix, which means he only competed in heat races if another racer in the four-lap heats could not compete.

“It’s my goal,” the British under-21 2005 champion said of racing in the top series. “It takes a lot of preparation and hard work.”

Also making the flight from overseas will be seven-time British champion Scott Nicholls, Poland’s Patryk Dudek and Maciej Janowski, Sweden’s Hans Anderson and American Ryan Fisher, who lives full-time and races in England. All compete in European leagues. Janowski also raced in the event last year, getting knocked out in a crash.

Charlie Venegas, who won the California State title last August at Industry, Max Ruml, Tyson Burmeister and Gino Manzares are the other American-based riders also on the invited list. Jason Ramirez and Austin Novratil are the alternates. Venegas, Manzares and Burmeister all had spots in last year’s invitational. Ruml, 16, won the junior title in the event last year. He turned pro this year.

The track will install an additional 800 seats, bringing the seating capacity to nearly 5,000. All seats were filled last year.

Last year, the track had issues with surface preparation, but that will not be the case this year, Industry race director Kelly Inman said.

“I definitely think it will be different this year,” he said. “We’re not sharing the facilities just before, and we’ll have plenty more time for track preparation. I know all of the guys are hungry to win this thing.”

Each racer will run five qualifying rounds so that they face every opponent. The eight riders with the top combined point totals from all five heats advance to the semifinals. The first and second-place finishers from each of the semifinals will meet in the finals.